Office Grace

Description

In a call centre, Mammon whispers temptations to a human but loses the sale. On the leader board: number one Beelzebub, at the bottom Mammon. Astorath wheels his chair over and commiserates. Astorath: “You can’t beat the guy who closed the Nineveh deal!” (Snapshot of Beezlebub at Nineveh, the smug bastard). Mammon: “Didn’t stick though” (Snapshot of Beezlebub sulking under a tree next to Jonah). News bulletin! Bonuses for successful temptations of Jesus. Oh my Satan! Mammon can’t believe her luck. Beezlebub’s sure he’s gonna clean this one up. Flames gush as Lucifer arrives, followed by minions with fire extinguishers. Lucifer: “He’s in the desert, a susceptible spot for humans. Let me thank the observations team who told me FORTY DAYS AFTER HE ARRIVED! (more flames, minions dash in to extinguish) Get me eyes on Jesus!” Via his computer, Beezlebub possesses a snake, through which we see Jesus.Mammon ruthlessly shoves forward, “Water-”. Beezlebub cuts in, “Bread! He’d be eating out of the palm of your hand.” Through the snake, Lucifer delivers a description worthy of MasterChef. Minions appear beside Jesus and shower him in bread, giggling. Soon Jesus is waist deep in bagels and brioche. Mammon wishes for Beezlebub to fail. Jesus declares, he won’t live on bread alone. Mammon’s thrilled. Jesus walks on bread and his sweat falls onto the snake. The feeds cuts, “Possession error: Bodily fluid of God”. Lucifer’s livid. Mammon stabs demons in the back to get forward. But Astorath, Bible in one hand, fire extinguisher in the other, rockets his chair through them. “Use Scripture to tempt him into showing his glory.” As Astorath holds the Bible, his hands melt away. Beezlebub possesses a bird. Lucifer tempts Jesus to throw himself off the temple. The minions, dressed as angles, giggle in a crevasse, “we’ll catch you, I’m really strong!” Jesus looks at the distance, it’s about four feet. He declares, do not test the Lord. He sighs at the bird, the feed cuts, “Possession error: Breath of God”. Lucifer’s fuming, minions dash to furniture that might catch light. Astorath is a puddle.Mammon screams, “We offer him, EVERYTHING!” Beezlebub unknowingly activates possessed-beetle protocol. As Mammon speaks, Jesus listens. “He’s not omnipotent anymore, it must be devastating, no power, no recognition, worthless…” Astorath gives a thumbs up, remodelling himself like playdough. Lucifer relents and delivers the temptation, all the power of the Earth, if Jesus would bow down. Finally her chance has come, Mammon’s fingers are crossed. Astorath’s are… smushed? But Jesus responds “Go away Satan!” Lucifer is blasted away. Minions scrabble to catch her, turns out they weren’t really strong. Lucifer’s full fury lets loose them. Only Mammon is still listening to Jesus, “Worship the Lord your God and serve only him”. Was it said just for her? As the beetle runs onto Jesus’ hand, the feed cuts out. “Possession error: Touch of God.” Finally, all the demons are crammed on ‘the naughty step’, whilst Mammon, gloves on, cautiously reads the Bible.

Biblical Connection

My film adapts Jesus’ temptation in the desert from the books of Matthew and Luke (Mark really phoned it in). This films tells it from the point of view of the demons trying to tempt Jesus with bread, glory and power. Our main character is Mammon and her journey is of turning herself away from the very temptation she offers Jesus, power. As an inadequate demon, worst at her job and constantly down trodden by others, she dreams of rising to the top. Against a backdrop of a toxic-fantastical work culture, bullying bosses and farcical blunders, Mammon is the one demon who, witnessing Jesus’ steadfast denial of temptation, ponders her own connection to desire. Jesus’ new place in a fallible body, potentially susceptible to temptation and sin, takes his journey through familiar territory for us as audience. Mammon becomes the surrogate for us, who through this film, begins to see the awful contrast between how her world has conditioned her to respond to power and how Scripture teaches us to.